Car-coupling



Patented Mar. 19,' 1895.

WMM/Wsw@ (No maal.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

W. L-.GELS-TON.

CAB. COUPLING.

'vNo..536,028. Patented Mar. 19;, 1895.

/ IHIIIIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L.- GELSTON, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARCOUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,028, dated Marchv19, 1895.

' Appnmioniednpruzl,1894.. sefiainasoage. (Nomade.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM vL'. GELsToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the Janney type car couplers, in general, but more especially to those having a rotatable head.

The object of my invention is to construct the head and draw bar, that the head may be rotated so that two or more cars may be coupled or uncoupled while standing on a curve. This I accomplish by casting a lug or projection on the draw bar while on the head I cast a slot, groove or opening in which the projection on the draw bar works. Of course it is obvious that I maycast the slot, groove or opening in the draw bar and the lug or projection in the head as found4 most desirable.

In the drawingsr Figure lis a top plan view of a coupler embodying my invention.k Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of Fig. l on the line X X. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is atop plan View of two couplers at an angle to each other. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail Views of the knuckle locking mechanism. Fig. 7 is a top plan View of a modification. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section of the same.

A represents the draw bar, the forward end of which is open from side to side and has the top and bottom portions a, the ends of which are cast with an angle less than a right angle as at a. On the inner face of these. top and bottom portions I form a lug or projection 0.2

and a groove c3.

B is the coupling head; b, the knuckle `pivoted thereto by means of the pin b and provided with the tongue b2. i

b3 is a spring secured in the head, in a suitable manner, one end of which bears against the rear of the tongue b2 thereby holding the knuckle open or in an unlocked position, when desired.`

b4 is a pin, passing through the coupling head, to which is secured, in any desirable manner, a stop b5 provided with a cam face or portion be. On one side of the head I form a projection 197 to be hereinafter referred to.

On the rear of the coupling head B, I form a lug, projection or rib bs and a groove b9, the rib bs on the head engaging the groove 0,3 on the bar While the rib or projection a2 on the bar engages the groove b9 in the head.

C is a cover which is secured to the head 6o directly over the groove and rib, by means of the bolts c. This cover C extends at right anglesbelow the lug or rib bs, atc', thus forming a stop, to prevent the head and draw bar junction with the walls of the recess in the head in which the end ofthe draw bar Works, to limit the rotatable movement of the head. It will be noticed that the recess D in the head is wider at the front than at the back. In other words, it has an inclination from back to front, thereby shedding the rain, snow, dac., that may drift in vsaid recess.

From the construction described and the reference to the drawings it is of course understood that the head B is adapted to be rotated.

The operation is as follows: On the supposition that two cars are on a curve and it is desired to couple them, all that is necessary is to turn the head B in the desired position and on one of the heads it will be necessary to release the knuckle b by pulling up the pin b4, thus raising the stop b5 and freeing the tongue b2 and permitting the knuckle to be thrown open by the action of the spring b2. The cars are then pushed together and the locked knuckle strikes the unlocked knuckle and forces it back to its locked position where it is held by the stop b5. When the knuckle is forced( back the tongue b2 engages the cam portion of the stop b5; thus raising said stop ,out of the Way, but the instant that the tongue slides off the cam portion, the stop b5 drops by gravityimmediately in front of the tongue thereby locking the knuckle.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated two coupling heads at an angle to each other, the pointu:

vof one head being an engagement Iwith the projection o7 on the other head. The pressure against the heads will cause the point to ico press hard on the projection bT and thereb rotate both heads into coupling position, and

.thus couple.

The object of forming the angle a, on the ends of the portions a., is to preventthe head from spreading when subjected to great pressure, or jam.

In Figs. 7 and S I have shown a slight modication, in which A is the head, provided with a recess r, in which are located lugs or projections, or trunnions o". These trun nions o" are part of the casting. A

B is the draw bar one end of which is open from side to side and has top and bottom portions s, in each of which are openings s. These portions s are pushed in the recesses until the openings s are directly over the lugs or projections or trunnions r. The bar is then dropped and the lugs fr engage the openings s. Thusthehead may rotate on the bar. After the bar is in position I secure a suitable cap C to the head by means of bolts cast on the head thereby holding the bar on the lugs o" in the recesses r.

Of course it will be understood that the recess r is of greater Width than the ends of the draw bar to allow the head to rotate.

The head except as just explained, is of the same construction as the ones rst described.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car coupler, the combination with a rotating head, of a lug, on the knuckle side thereof to be engaged by the opposite side of another coupler and rotate both couplers into locking position when they meet atan angle.

2. A car coupler comprising a draw bar, the

lforward end of which is open and its edges cast at an angle sloping rearwardly and outwardly, a lug or projection and a groove on the inner faces of said end and a draw head having a seat to receive the lug or projection and groove, substantially as described.

3. A car coupler head having a seat provided with curved and angular walls in the rear end of the head, a solid Wall sloping rear- Wardly and outwardly'in front of said seat, and a groove and lug or projection also on the rear of said head, in combination with a draw bar having an open head constructed to engage the inclined wall, groove and projection, and a cap to cover the head and draw bar, where they engage each other, a portion of said cover extending below the lug 118 substantially as described.

4. A car couplet' comprising a draw bar having an open forward end, a curve and bevel on the extreme edge of said end, a lug and a groove on the inner faces of said end, said bevel sloping rearwardly and outwardly and a draw head with a seat for the said lug, groove and curved and beveled end of the draw bar, substantially as described.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a rotatable head,a groove and rib on said head, of a draw bar,a groove and rib on said bar, a stop to limit the movement of said head, substantially as described. v

G. In a car coupler, the combination with the head and bar, a groove and projection formed on said head and bar respectively, of a combined cap and stop to cover the joint between the head and bar and limit the rotation of the head, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. GELSTON. lVitnesses:

W. J. SHAFFER, J. W. G. BARKER. 

